Only Pele,Federer,redgrave compare to Sachin for greatness

Never has a cricketer been as venerated,if not actually worshipped,by his own people.

In cricket,only Sir Don Bradmans average of 99.94 or Brian Lara breaking the world record twice which was like man walking on the moon and then landing on Mars 10 years later come close to Tendulkars century of international hundreds and double century of Test caps for superhuman endurance. And in other sports,perhaps Peles 1,281 career goals,Sir Steve Redgraves five Olympic gold medals in consecutive Games or Roger Federers 17 Grand Slam titles compare with the Little Master for greatness. Never has a cricketer been as venerated,if not actually worshipped,by his own people.

Daily Mirror

No one in any sport has performed as consistently

Tendulkar has around a billion of them fans 8230; shows the size of the burden he has laboured under. No one,in any sport,has performed so consistently,under such pressure,over such a long period of time. By that measure,the margin between Tendulkar and the rest is as wide as the gap between Bradmans batting average and the next best.

The Guardian

You watch him bat and you are in awe

Hes one of the best I have ever bowled at,definitely. You can be standing at mid-on watching him bat and youre in awe,I know you shouldnt be when youre on the field,but you could tell he was very,very special at what he did. Any time you get someone who is classed as one of the greats like Ponting or Lara it does feel a little bit more special. Every time I got him out I got that feeling.

James Anderson,The Independent

He combined brilliance with incredible longevity

A batting genius who has played the game for almost a quarter of a century,he combined brilliance with incredible longevity. He outlasted fellow greats such as West Indies champion Brian Lara,Australian legend Ricky Ponting and Indian teammate Rahul Dravid,and inspired a new generation of players who wanted to be like him. None of his contemporaries commanded Tendulkars god-like status,which coincided with Indias rise as a cricket superpower.

Sydney Morning Herald

Cricket is Unlikely to produce another like him

His retirement will leave a massive hole in the game. Cricket,in its modern guises,is unlikely to produce another player like him. The Indians record against Australia 3630 runs at 55 and in Australia 1809 at 53.21 is a testament to that. Tendulkars super-stardom did not dull his runmaking. He churned out a phenomenal 51 Test centuries. A master of spin,he played Warne better than anyone. It takes a genius to know one and the pair became great friends. He carried himself with remarkable grace,on and off the field. To hear the noise of an Indian crowd when he is at the crease,then the silence when he gets out,no matter the importance of the game,is one of sports greatest thrills.

Daily Telegraph

He was his own power source

Where Lara would bat as if pursued by furies,Tendulkar was somehow his own power source or motive force. He would stay as long as he wished; you almost might as well enjoy it. Warne has said subsequently,in fact,that it was a pleasure bowling to him. Such was Tendulkars precocity,in fact,that it is hard to recall the world ever being otherwise. Opponents quickly accorded him nodding acknowledgment. He was coming,all right; there might be no stopping him. In his enduring,unflagging,unappeasable appetite for cricket,Tendulkar reflected his homeland. India is ever a wonder,somehow never tired or bored or surfeited by the game in all its forms fascinated,almost,by its own fascination. So was Tendulkar.

The Australian